Unlike occasional teacher union opponent Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel does not send his kids to public schools. Instead, Emanuel's children attend one of the most elite prep schools in Chicago, the University of Chicago Lab School, where the annual tuition is more than $20,000. (Emanuel has repeatedly refused to answer questions about why he eschews public schools for his children, telling reporters that it is a private family decision.)

The conditions at the University of Chicago Lab Schools are dramatically different than those at Chicago Public Schools, which are currently closed with teachers engaged in a high-profile strike. The Lab School has seven full-time art teachers to serve a student population of 1,700. By contrast, only 25% of Chicago’s “neighborhood elementary schools” have both a full-time art and music instructor. The Lab School has three different libraries, while 160 Chicago public elementary schools do not have a library.

“Physical education, world languages, libraries and the arts are not frills. They are an essential piece of a well-rounded education,” wrote University of Chicago Lab School Director David Magill on the school's website in February 2009.

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Karen Lewis agrees with Magill, and believes what works for Mayor Emanuel’s kids should be a prescription for the rest of the city.

“I’m actually glad that he did [send his kids to Lab School] because it gave me an opportunity to look at how the Lab school functions,” Lewis toldChicago magazine in November 2011. “I thought he gave us a wonderful pathway to seeing what a good education looks like, and I think he’s absolutely right, and so we love that model. We would love to see that model throughout.”

One of the key sticking points in union negotiations is that Emanuel wants to use standardized tests scores to count for 40 percent of the basis of teacher evaluations. Earlier this year, more than 80 researchers from 16 Chicago-area universities signed an open letter to Emanuel, criticizing the use of standardized test scores for this purpose. “The new evaluation system for teachers and principals centers on misconceptions about student growth, with potentially negative impact on the education of Chicago’s children,” they wrote.

CTU claims that nearly 30% of its members could be dismissed within one to two years if the proposed evaluation process is put into effect and has opposed using tests scores as the basis of evaluation. They're joined in their opposition to using testing in evaulations by Magill.

Writing on the University of Chicago’s Lab School website two years ago, Magill noted, “Measuring outcomes through standardized testing and referring to those results as the evidence of learning and the bottom line is, in my opinion, misguided and, unfortunately, continues to be advocated under a new name and supported by the current [Obama] administration.”

While Magill could not be reached for direct comment on the specifics of the Chicago Teachers’ strike, his past writings on the school's site suggest he might be supportive.

“I shudder to think of who would be attracted to teach in our public schools without unions,” Magill wrote on the school’s website in February 2009, adding that, even with unions, many teachers "have had no choice but to take on second jobs to make ends meet.“

But Magill's writings also note just how fine a line CTU will have to walk to keep public sentiment, which currently supports the strike 47% to 39% according to one recent poll, on its side. Acknowledging the "distressing...generational change in the public’s attitude toward teachers," Magill writes, "Some would say that teachers are responsible for this change by publicly participating in actions designed to bring attention to sub-standard working conditions and compensation. These actions often cause unintended collateral damage to students. Parents and the public at large have long memories when the education of their children is interrupted. We must find a way to conclude collective bargaining without raising doubts about the professionalism of those whose work should be valued the most.”

I left m­y desk job a­nd since then I make Eighty-Five Dollars per/hr. ...Wonder how? I am working via internet from my home! My last work was bad for me ,s­­o I chose to take my chance with something new… 2 years have passed since And I can say in great confidence it was a life changing decision for me! Check it out, what it is about...> -> AVAILABLE JOBS AND QUICK PAYMENT <-

Posted by Guest on 2015-03-24 09:04:14

Absolutely.

Posted by Jack on 2015-03-23 14:40:36

Thanks for proclaiming your stupidity so clearly. It's not the teachers who are tested, it's the students. Can't you think up a better troll false identity? The "hutt" insult gave you away.

Posted by Repairman632 on 2015-03-08 15:00:55

Karen "The Hutt" Lewis opposes testing for the public school union teachers because none of them could pass. Teacher unions have destroyed the education system in America; you need to look no further and Chicago.

Posted by LeJawana Jones on 2013-04-16 06:30:35

The Daley children attended Lab but went on to St. Ignatius and Mt Carmel to complete their studies.

Posted by Maddie on 2012-11-26 18:09:35

And who is it that fights tooth and nail against vouchers, which would allow all students to attend schools where this kind of more enlightened education would be possible? Who is it that buys the votes they need in Congress and at the state level to ensure that this will not happen? Who is it that uses their local power to ensure that local school boards march to their orders? Three guesses, the first two don't count.

Posted by AmosBurritt on 2012-10-13 08:28:09

Daley's kids did not attend lab they went to Saints. Obama's kids attended lab but their parents worked for the university and as received a discount. It also sits less than 10 blocks from their home.

Posted by Roni on 2012-09-15 12:35:14

The rich and gready and our elected self entitled officials don't practice what they preach to the middle class and workers.

Posted by Briansz on 2012-09-15 11:59:50

This is the most cogent on target argument I've seen. Really great.

Posted by bon1042 on 2012-09-14 15:13:30

I completely agree....

Posted by Sherry on 2012-09-14 12:46:13

Magill says, "I shudder to think of who would teach in our public schools without unions."

Here in Los Angeles, most fresh new teachers seem to be getting jobs at charters (not unionized and lower pay) not because they are Michelle Rhea conservative idealists, but because it's their only choice. Teachers who are not unionized are not villains, but people desperate to put food on the table. There's just no jobs available that are union-protected.

Tangential and perhaps not the point of the article, but thought I'd defend charter teachers.

Posted by NewTeacher on 2012-09-13 22:29:23

As a finalist for national merit scholar last year, I have to say that the education trends are way too focused on standardized testing. If we are using standardized testing scores as a performance evaluation for teachers, then we are telling them that the most important concept they can teach their students is how to do well on a test. My guess is that in the real world, there aren't many jobs that ask you to memorize information that somebody else has already discovered and fill in the right bubbles on an answer sheet. Success requires you to be innovative and think outside the box, to come up with some new product or idea that will serve other people and yourself. If school is all about preparing students to do well on tests, when are we going to learn to think for ourselves? Why are we going to school if all the politicians want us to learn is to fill in bubbles on an answer sheet?

Posted by Morgana Warner-Evans on 2012-09-13 17:13:54

They could have taken place in the classroom! Negotiations began in November 2011. The board of education refused to make any moves from then until July when the independent arbitrator released his findings. So from July until the start of school in September the board had yet another window to negotiate but they didn't. They waited until three days before a strike to make in moves in negotiations. So why should teachers now believe that any real negotiating will take place if they return to work??

Posted by Kelli on 2012-09-13 05:59:24

Much of the problem stems from the ridiculous AMOUNT of testing. Kindergarteners in the school where I teach will be testing DAILY for the first 44 days of school...the older kids may have more. I teach Pre K, and MY class will be tested (whenever we get back into our classrooms) every day for the first month so that I can be evaluated. I'm testing Preschoolers. I'M TESTING THREE YEAR OLDS WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL BEFORE. Every day. For the first month of school. Maybe I'll get to teach sometime this year...

Posted by Heather D on 2012-09-12 21:07:44

By the way the average teacher does NOT make $71,000 - 78,000 like the news has been stating. We make a LOT less than that. Although I am grateful for what I make.

Posted by D. B on 2012-09-12 20:56:51

Rahm only cares about himself. I can't wait for the 'holiday' tree. Vote him out!

Posted by Dawn on 2012-09-12 18:09:39

Thanks for the heads up --- didn't realize Fordham was partisan but I took a closer look at their mission and values after your post and realized they're biased in many regards against teachers unions. Some of their partners threw me for a loop though ---- like the Center for American Progress who supports union labor. Puzzler.

Posted by On Balance on 2012-09-12 16:37:30

exactly! The tests are given to the students. And the teachers are held wholly responsible for how the students perform. Parents are not held accountable, administration is not held accountable. The students themselves are not held accountable. The classroom size is not taken into consideration, nor are the lack of resources. How can a first grade teacher be expected to teach students how to read when there are forty first graders in one class? Teachers are expected to be miracle workers. Additionally, these tests don't seem to take into account multiple intelligences or learning theories of that kind. Teaching to the test is ridiculous and it keeps teachers from being able to explore new ways of teaching. I used to love school and was so fortunate to get a wonderful education (not in Chicago). I was talking to a parent recently, who just decided to home school her daughter because the school was so bad.

Posted by Jacki on 2012-09-12 15:54:10

Daley's kids went to private Catholic schools.

Posted by Cosmic Tinker on 2012-09-12 15:46:17

This article made no mention of the fact that Arne Duncan went to the Lab school, as did Obama's children, and that Arne's kids attend a public school in an affluent VA suburb, not a DC school, while Obama's are in another private school. None of them want their own kids in urban public schools and they prescribe the worst brand of education, drill for skill, for other people's children --which you would not see in these progressive schools.

Posted by Cosmic Tinker on 2012-09-12 15:33:37

What makes you think most public schools don't have the same thing in terms of enrichment? They do, or did, before these jerkwads like Obama, Bush, Duncan, and Rahm decided to wage war on them because they are on the take from the billionaire foundations.

Posted by Susan Nunes on 2012-09-12 15:16:19

Yep.

Posted by Susan Nunes on 2012-09-12 15:14:55

Not a dime's worth of difference between the two political parties. They both despise democracy and its institutions; that's why they are trying to dismantle the foundation of a democracy, public education.

Posted by Susan Nunes on 2012-09-12 15:14:26

What a laugh. Fordham is not reputable. Besides, private schools aren't better anyway; they merely take the top students and disregard the rest. Take your right-wing propaganda from a right-wing propaganda think tank elsewhere.

Posted by Susan Nunes on 2012-09-12 15:13:24

The tests are not given to the teachers, but the students.

Posted by Hank Connor on 2012-09-12 14:39:20

Wanting the best for your kids and at the same time trying to improve the education of those who can't afford a private school is not a crime. My understanding from afar is that Emanuel is education minded and wants to improve the Chicago public schools. I don't know the details of the proposed test, but teachers should have a certain knowledge of the subject they teach, although no test will determine exactly what a teacher knows about a subject. If it is only one of many criteria for evaluating a teacher, and if it is a well made up test, it would be of value. Frank Connor, Lab 1947, Hyde Park High 1949

Posted by Frank Connor on 2012-09-12 12:43:02

On balance, many CTU teachers do so as well. Not long ago in 2004, a Thomas B. Fordham Institute study found that 39% of CPS teachers sent their own kids to private schools. I'm sure the percentage is lower today but that's a large number as recent as 8 years ago.

Posted by On Balance on 2012-09-12 12:22:54

try and keep up

Posted by FlatBaroque on 2012-09-12 09:29:28

Lab school tuition: $25 - $27k per year. Rahm-a-lam-a-ding-dong must have hit the lotto jackpot. Nope! Just made millions as an investment banker with ZERO experience in investment banking between his political stints. I thought Rahm and Obama hated the one percent! Yeah right!!! The two Kings of Chicago turning the US upside down. As planned I might add!

Posted by Chris Pavlak on 2012-09-12 08:39:55

'who director eschews Emanuel's idea of "reform." '

Don't send your kids to the same school attended by the person who wrote that!

Posted by Lilithcat on 2012-09-12 08:29:11

You must be in grade school. F'ing retarded????? Grow up!

Posted by Connie Harps Ehrke on 2012-09-12 08:24:41

"What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy" (p. 34). John Dewey, The School and Society, 1899

Posted by Jim La Prad on 2012-09-12 07:10:10

Keep in mind, these costs also have to cover overhead too. In these terribly old buildings, there is no efficiency whatsoever; they have old windows that just bleed heat, leaks that waste water, and generally will cost more. I wonder what the stats break down AFTER you pay to keep the buildings open. =(

Posted by Antoinette Marie on 2012-09-12 05:30:47

10-12,000 dollars...just a guess..

Posted by Yuri Zermeno on 2012-09-12 00:07:40

How much money do the public school cost per student per year?

Posted by ben_b on 2012-09-11 23:07:16

Lab School teachers are unionized. Can't remember the local number but part of AFT I believe.

Posted by #faircontract on 2012-09-11 22:35:13

The mayor should be required to send his kids to public schools. I can't think of a better incentive to our public school system's well being.

Posted by Ken Moustache-Berg on 2012-09-11 22:24:27

Did anyone ever disclose the annual salary for the University of Chicago Labs teachers? I'm wondering how it compares to the salaries of CPS teachers.

Posted by Wondering on 2012-09-11 22:13:18

This was written by a Philadelphia principal and it seems like this is going on in Chicago.

"To me, when you ensure your own child has an arts-enriched, small-class size, deeply humanistic education and you advocate that those families who have fewer economic resources than you have should sit straight in their chairs and do what they are told while doubling and tripling up on rote memorization and test prep, you are guilty of educational colonialism.And it's time we start calling that what it is."

This is going to backfire, bigtime, unless the President pressures Rahm Emanuel to sit down with the teachers and bargain in good faith.

Posted by Rough Acres on 2012-09-11 20:31:12

Rahm, you are f'ing retarded.

Posted by FlatBaroque on 2012-09-11 20:20:21

I'm happy that private schools such as this have great learning conditions, however, the politics surrounding the current contract detract from CPS students' needs. I feel the negotiations would end quickly and productively if they had to take place in a classroom with no supplies, or air conditioning, as experienced by the Track E students that have to struggle to breathe and perform well on tests. Thank you for addressing your side of this issue...it helps.

Posted by Donna Rosenbery on 2012-09-11 19:56:22

It's not just Magill, the teachers at the lab school have voiced their support for the CTU and their opposition to Rahm's policies. The other rich parents there will not let Rahmpulstiltskin nuke the Lab School's director or teachers just because they spoke truth to power.

Posted by CitizensArrested on 2012-09-11 19:18:52

Sounds like Magill would be supportive, as long as rich people don't cost him his job. Basically, he like Ezra Klein(and his blogmates), knows the real truth but doesn't want to speak it too loudly.

Posted by Phil Perspective on 2012-09-11 18:20:02

About this Blog

"Working In These Times" is dedicated to providing independent and incisive coverage of the labor movement and the struggles of workers to obtain safe, healthy and just workplaces. more